Firefighters find 1 person dead, rescue several others during blaze at southwestern Ind. motel

1 found dead, several rescued from Ind. motel fire

VINCENNES, Ind. — Firefighters have found one body and rescued several people from a fire at a southwestern Indiana motel.

The Vincennes Fire Department says two people suffering from smoke inhalation were taken to an Indianapolis hospital after the fire early Monday at a Days Inn near U.S. 41. One police officer suffered a hand injury.

Firefighters found heavy fire and smoke when they arrived around 2:30 a.m. at the motel, which had nine occupied rooms. The department says one room on the ground floor of the two-story motel was gutted, with heat and smoke damage elsewhere.

Fire Chief Mike Lankford says it wasn’t immediately known what caused the fire.

The name of the person killed wasn’t immediately released.

Information from: WAOV-AM, www.waovam.com/index.htm

(This version CORRECTS motel’s name to Days Inn.)